Twilight High II: Abuse
by TheDarkestZero
Summary: After the Tragedy of Twilight Town, Naminé Shiro's life has become normal again, until she found the love of her life, Sora Skye. But there is something lurking the shadows, trying to take her away from Sora forever. Meanwhile, Arlene returns to get Lea to help her find members for her new gang she's creating...but will she find the perfect partner instead? Sequel to 'Betrayal'.
1. Normal Day

**If you haven't ready the first in the Twilight High series, ****_Betrayal_****, read that before you read this one.**

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**Chapter 1: Normal Day**

Of course, normal is just a word. Nothing is _truly _normal. Especially in Twilight Town. It seemed like bad things happened left and right. And then the tragedy happened, two months ago. The explosion. Of course, many people died that day. Some were injured. Others locked away for good. A lot of crazy stuff.

When school returned from Spring break, everything was nice and…dare I say it…_normal_. Naminé Shiro's sixteenth birthday was the day school came back, and yet, she was happy. She'd be able to see all her fabulous friends once again.

She stepped out the bright red convertible belonging to her sister, Kairi Hikari, and her blond hair continued to gently flow in the wind. Kairi, whose red hair fell over her shoulders, stepped out of the driver's seat. But enough about Kairi. This story is all about Naminé. Well, she prefers Nami.

They were wearing normal school uniforms that blew about in the wind. _Normal._ The birds chirping, a rainbow extremely visible in the sky, and everything else…_normal._

Nami started laughing as Kairi told some joke, but that's not important. Nami was being a… gentle-lady and opened the left back door for the teen with the steel-blue hair, Ienzo. He said a 'thank-you' to Nami, walked over to Kairi, and gently laid a kiss upon her lips.

"Seeing you two together makes my heart feel all warm and fuzzy," Nami said, trying her most adorable voice. "Now stop it please, I want my own boyfriend."

"Then get yourself one," Ienzo said with a smile. "Then you'd be happy, like us." He leaned in and gave Kairi another kiss. Nami just chuckled and walked away.

When Nami walked up the steps to the school and entered through the double doors, she was hit with a fragrance that smelled of cherry blossoms. In fact, pink flower petals littered the ground.

People were gathered around a stand with a teen sitting behind it. On a red sign in front of the stand read "Lover's Spring Fling". Of course. A dance that Nami was _not _prepared for.

In a week, there would be a dance that Nami would _not_ have a boyfriend to bring, thus rendering her unable to go at all. It was called the Lover's Spring Fling because you _had_ to have a date with you.

She stared at the weird looking teen behind the stand. He had long, ruffly pink hair and aqua-blue eyes. He wore a white shirt with a heart on the shirt pocket. On a badge that was pinned to his shirt was the name, "Lumaria Sakura."

Lumaria cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted, "Don't forget to sign up you and your—" He paused for dramatic effect. "—special someone!"

Of course. Way to spoil Nami's day even more. That 'pause for dramatic effect' didn't do her any favors either.

She kept walking, until…she ran into Lea. They were both surprised to see each other so early in the day. Lea was using crutches to get around, being careful to not touch the ground with his feet.

"Hey, Nami!" Lea said to her in a cheery voice. "I haven't seen you in a while! My legs started feeling better suddenly, so here I am with crutches!"

"Uh-huh," Nami replied. "Is being at school the best idea? Weren't your legs _paralyzed_?"

"It's all good," Lea muttered. "Now leave. I'm here to meet a friend."

"Fine then," Nami replied, and left Lea alone, walking back to wherever Kairi and Ienzo were.

…

As Nami left Lea, a person put her hand on Lea's shoulder and revealed herself. A kind of tall woman with short blue hair and light-colored sunglasses.

"Arlene," Lea said, crossing his arms and putting his crutches leaning against the lockers to the side of him. "You know how long it took—" He raised his hand and in it was a crumpled slip of paper. "—to actually find you? I had to wait two months!"

"Aww, does the baby wanna cry?" Arlene smirked, starting to laugh. "Lea Kasai, I know you give into peer pressure, so there's no doubt you'll join. But…I need a member or two to make us complete. The Midnight Crusaders are now forever known as…the Savage Nymphs. I know, girly title, right? The 'savage' part makes it manly. Am I right?"

"I looked for you for two months," Lea strained his voice, clearly upset. "I wanted to find you. You left your phone number, your address, and I came up blank. There's no such address. The phone number was for a Chinese restaurant. The only useful info was that bit underneath it all. I don't think we should scare anyone into joining _your _group. I'm not your puppet."

"Oh, come on," she said, licking her lips and stroking Lea's shoulder. "You'd love to be a puppet, wouldn't you? Then you wouldn't have to do anything too…stressful. Just follow me and all will be good—"

"Two months," Lea reminded her rudely. "Two _freaking _months, Arlene! What exactly do you mean you'll create a new gang? What is the purpose? Just…what are you planning now, Arlene?"

"Calm yourself, Red," Arlene said in a soothing yet menacing voice. "I'll find the perfect partner if you don't join. You have to do something with your life."

And with that, Arlene backed away and was gone. Lea hung his head down in anger. He couldn't even get a straight answer from Arlene.

…

Nami headed straight for Kairi and Ienzo, wherever they might be hanging out at, when she bumped into someone, causing the both of them to fall onto the floor. Nami looked at the boy before her as she shakily stood up on both feet, legs wobbling, as she dusted off her skirt.

The boy looked around eighteen and had crystal blue eyes that nearly mesmerized Nami, and his brown hair was almost unnaturally spikey, spots of hair spiking out in all directions.

Nami looked down at the boy who smiled back at her, taking her hand and helping him up. "Thanks," the boy replied. "Um…sorry, about that."

"No, it's alright," Nami replied with a smile. "My fault."

"Not at all. By the way, I'm Sora Skye."

"Naminé Shiro."

"Beautiful name," Sora said, taking her hand in his. "Just be careful running into people. There are a lot of weird and bad people out there."

"Tell me about it," Nami chuckled, reminiscing in her mind about the entire struggle between Lea and Isa's gang. "Sora, I don't recognize you. You weren't at this school before Spring break?"

"Nah, I just got here," Sora replied, ruffling his hair in his fingers. "Me and my half-brother, Vanitas. We're coming from Destiny High. Ever heard of it?"

Nami was clueless and obviously in love with this guy, so she decided to say, "Yep, who doesn't know about Destiny High?"

Sora wasn't convinced and just laughed. "You're funny, Naminé."

"Call me Nami. Everyone does."

"Of course," Sora replied, stretching out his arms. "Well, Nami, I've gotta head over to my brother, but, um, it was nice meeting you. Very nice. So nice…heh…um, well, I should be going. See ya later!" Sora quickly turned around and rushed away from the area.

Sora couldn't tell if he was blushing or sweating excessively, because he had an obvious crush on her. He couldn't contain his heartbeat as he reached the lockers at the back of the school. But he got away, saving himself from future embarrassment.

Sora slid down on the locker, falling onto his buttocks and hitting his head on the locker behind him. He heard a steady _tap, tap, tap _on the metal locker to the side of him, and he turned to see his charming, same-age half-brother with the jet-black hair and golden eyes, Vanitas Hathaway.

Vanitas was almost identical to Sora in every way, except he had his father's black spikey hair, the golden eyes as mentioned before, and he could actually keep his cool in front of a lady.

"Van, what are you doing here?" Sora asked in a rude tone. "Here to mock me? Say how much of a coward I am? 'Cause you're right. I am a coward. I couldn't even talk to Naminé Shiro for long."

"You wanna make convo with her?" Vanitas asked suddenly, startling Sora. "Then talk to her about today. To you it may seem like a normal day; to her, it's her sixteenth birthday."

"Her birthday?" Sora asked, standing up quickly. "How do you know—"

"I know how to observe," Vanitas replied smoothly. "And I know today is her special day. She's not making a big deal about it. Neither are her family members or friends. It'd mean a lot to be the only one who shows excitement towards her. That's how you rope the li'l lady in."

"Maybe," Sora replied with a tad respect, and a tad confusion. "How do you even get this kind of information, considering we just moved in?"

"I'm just good like that," Vanitas replied, and walked off, leaving Sora in silence.

…

Nami went about her normal day taking her normal classes. When she sat in her last class of the day, Aeleus Brunner's World History Honor's Class, for some reason she heard the door creaking behind her. Yet she was the furthest from the door and closer to her auburn haired teacher.

She whipped her head back, but the door was shut tight. Nami's felt jittery and completely delusional before. But yet, this felt somehow different.

She decided not to let this weird presence in the air bug her, and she continued copying notes from the board. When she was called up to the board to recite some of her answers to their latest homework assignment, it was as if she hadn't heard him.

"Hello?" a fuzzy sounding voice name from in front of Nami. "Earth to Shiro. Hello?" Nami lazily refocused her eyes on Aeleus and she nearly jumped. Just a split second ago she was worrying about the door creaking, and it was like magic that Aeleus got in front of her so fast. Had she blacked out? "Shiro, what were you dreaming about? I hope it was school."

"Of course," Nami stuttered quietly, looking down at the ground. "What is it you asked me?"

"Give us your answers for last night's homework assignment," Aeleus replied simply. "Now, Shiro."

"Yes sir!" She replied rather quickly and rushed to the front of the class near the board, nearly tripping over her schoolbag. "Now…oh, wait, I forgot my paper!" She rushed back to her desk where she picked up the worksheet.

Yep, just as scatterbrained as normal when she felt uneasy. Just another normal day. A buzzing sound had come from the intercom on the wall, right above the board and above Nami.

A voice spoke from it, "Can Naminé Shiro come down to the office for a moment?"

"Yes ma'am," Aeleus responded, and Nami simply dropped her paper, ran down the aisle, skipped over her schoolbag, and rushed out the door that for some reason was an inch open already.

She didn't worry about that though.

Nami had run downstairs and to the office, where inside were Kairi, Ienzo, and Lea as well. "What's going on?" Nami asked, and noticed Aerith and Even, arm-in-arm behind the three others.

The lady that was at the desk to the side minded her business and started filling out paperwork.

Aerith said, "I cannot stress this enough, so bear with me. When you get to the house this afternoon, Even and I will not be there." She took out of her pocket two keys for the house. "One for Lea and one for Kairi. Lea rides alone and still stays by the hospital, so he can get in by himself. I know you three, Kairi, Nami, and Ienzo, ride together, so you three share this one. We will be gone for five days."

"Five?" Kairi asked, confused.

"You guys are young adults now, and Even trusts you guys with the safety of his house," Aerith replied. "Curfew is ten o'clock sharp, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The reason we'll be leaving is because I have a modeling gig and Even is my new manager, as you should know. The modeling gig is all the way in Radiant Garden."

"That's half way across the country," Lea said. "Why so far?"

"One of my clients says that's the only way we can do the photo shoot," Even said with an authority-like tone. "We'll be back around Friday. Now for some ground rules…no, by any circumstances, ever, should there be a party. The only ones we can trust being there all week are Olette and Selphie. And…whatever friends Ienzo decides to bring."

"Why would we throw a party?" Lea asked. "That's crazy and irresponsible—"

"So is drinking and lighting people's houses on fire," Kairi whispered next to Lea, making Lea's eye twitch. "Mom, Even, it'll all be good. We'll behave."

"And this modeling gig should give us enough money to pay for decorations and other stuff for our wedding in three months," Aerith smiled. "It'd work better than Even using a lot of his money right now. Right?"

"Sure," Kairi replied. "That sounds good."

"Good," Even started. "Now…group hug, anyone?" As he had asked, Kairi, Lea, Nami, and Ienzo grabbed Aerith and Even into a large hug.

"We'll miss you guys," Aerith said, bringing up her arm and staring at her watch. "We should leave _now_. Bye, kids!"

Without a moment to spare, Aerith and Even rushed out of the office, leaving their kids behind.

"That was on short notice," Nami replied, chuckling. "I'll miss them. I don't think I've ever been home alone for a few hours, let alone days."

"Don't worry," Kairi replied. "And yes, you have been home alone. Just with me…and Lea. Anyway, we can invite Selphie and Olette over and have a small sleepover! If their parents allow."

"Sure," Nami replied, and walked out of the office with Kairi and Ienzo.

…

Lea stuck around for some reason, just hanging outside the office. Arlene had appeared in a pink wig with a large red bow and fake, but very convincing, cheekbones.

"Hello," she said to Lea. "The folks at your house are gone. You know what that sounds like? An awesome place to meet up. We should get the tykes to go out somewhere until ten o'clock, and while they're gone I can come and discuss some plans with you."

She lifted up what was in her hand; there was a binder that seemed filled enough to the point it was hard to close, with a few sheets of paper on top, clipped to the binder with a paperclip.

A pair of hands started clapping, and they both turned around towards the stairwell where the pink headed Lumaria stood with a clipboard under his arm.

"Excuse me, but what is going on here?" Lumaria asked in a polite voice which sounded as if he was trying to be rude. "Hall passes?"

"Nope," Arlene replied. "We were just called to the office, you know. Now leave us alone, Cherry Blossom."

"Really? You're going to be like that? Just get out of my sight, Threat to Society. Take off the wig as well, Mrs. Fake."

"Teacher's pet," Arlene grumbled, ripping off her pink wig in frustration and throwing it to the garbage conveniently to the side of her, and it landed harshly into it. "What are you? Hall monitor?"

"Just a volunteer," Lumaria snapped back. "You really shouldn't bite the head of authority. I can get the principal to come right here, right now and say that you two are loitering without legal permission. Do we want that? No we don't. Do I make myself clear?"

Despite being the same age as Arlene, he was acting more like her superior than a fellow peer.

Without waiting for a response, the goody-two-shoes walked off and up the stairwell. Lea sighed at Arlene and growled, "Man, I really hate school! This is why I should've passed those two times."

"But we didn't, now, did we," Arlene asked. "As practically the oldest students in the school, we should really have power over everybody else. That's how we get members."

"I'm nineteen and still here!" Lea shouted. "Arlene, it's practically your fault. When we broke up in eighth grade I flunked the test and failed. My junior year, because of my gang, I missed too much school and got held back. This is all because of you and Isa, you know. Get _that _memorized."

Arlene just started laughing and shoved the binder and papers into Lea's hand.

…

Nami had returned to her class, where there was only ten minutes left on the clock until the first day back at school would be over, and Nami could go and relax.

Aeleus had forgotten to tell Nami to go in front of class and read out her answers, which she was grateful for. When the bell sounded, she headed out the door with everybody else, went down the stairwell, and headed for the back door where the student parking lot was.

Instead of heading immediately for Kairi's car, she made a detour left and to the snack vending machine, where she was getting ready to purchase a bag of Flaming Hot Chips and a bottle of Sprite. That is, until a person placed his hand on her shoulder.

Sora Skye now had a confident smile he had been looking for, and said with those charming eyes of his and said, "Here ya go; no need for a pretty lady like you to pay for stuff, right?" He handed Nami two dollars and seventy-five cents. Nami chuckled a little. "Oh, no! So stupid!" He slapped himself in the back of the head and yelled, "Why can't I get anything right!?"

"It's alright, I thought it was sweet," Nami replied with a smile as she slipped in the first dollar and grabbed a bag of chips that had slid down the vending machine. She then placed in another dollar and the seventy-five cents.

"Yeah, but it was kinda forced," Sora said, rubbing the back of his head in the spot he had wailed on a second ago. Nami grabbed the bottle of Sprite that had fallen. "My brother Vanitas gave me advice. Oh, and…happy birthday."

"Oh?" Nami asked, putting her bag of chips and bottle of Sprite under her right arm. "You're knew here and you already knew it was my birthday?"

"Once again, Vanitas," Sora admitted. "I'm sorry, I'm terrible at talking to pretty girls…oh, dang it!" He stomped his foot. "Forget I said you were pretty! Wait, no, you _are_, but…gah! I should just shut up!"

"No, don't shut up," Nami said, and then tried to take a stand. "I like the way you talk. It's kind, even if it was kinda forced out of you. I'm nervous about guys, too. It's natural, Sora."

"Thank you!" Sora said, ripping the tag off of his schoolbag and yanking a pen from his pocket, writing down a series of numbers on it. "Here you go!" Sora was blushing so much but he didn't care, as he handed her the tag. "My number! Um…my cell phone number! We can, like, text, and stuff! If you…wanna be friends and talk for a while. I'm free…whenever! Just give me a call!"

Sora turned around quickly and started to fast-walk away, leaving Nami behind stunned as could be. Nami clutched the tag with Sora Skye's number on it, and she rushed ahead, nearly dropping her food and drink in the process, and finally reached Kairi's car, stepped into the shotgun seat, and saw Kairi and Ienzo waiting impatiently.

"Why were you taking so long?" Kairi asked angrily. "You realize I don't like waiting, right? Oh, wait…I know that look on your face—"

"I met a boy," Nami hurriedly said, making Kairi squeal in happiness. "He's a new student here, Sora Skye. He also has a brother named Vanitas." For some reason, just the name made her shiver. "He was a complete gentleman and paid for my chips and Sprite; he gave me his number; and he even told me happy birthday!" She opened her bag of chips and began eating it. She hated Lea for getting her to try these fiery chips. Now she couldn't get enough.

"So exciting!" Kairi replied with a wide smile, leaning over and hugging Nami. "Maybe, if you're lucky, you can get him to take you to the Lover's Spring Fling. Then you won't be left out."

"Maybe," Nami said with a dreamily smile and slowly closed her eyes, not waiting for this moment to end.

This had never happened to her before. Today had just become unusual. And…_not normal_.

Kairi drove off, with Lea's truck in front and a dark and mysterious black car in back.

…

Lea drove straight to the area that used to hold the alley where the explosion and tragedy had happened. It was now nothing but a small incision in the pavement, looking like the ground caved in. They decided to keep it like that, littered with bits of brick and wood, for historic purposes.

When he stopped, a golden convertible pulled over to the side of him, and Arlene stepped out. She walked to Lea's truck while Lea rolled down his window. Arlene reached her head inside the window and whispered to Lea, "How's it going, Red?"

"Why did you want me to meet you here?" Lea asked rudely to Arlene.

"You've gotta get Kairi, Naminé, and Ienzo out of that house," Arlene replied with a wicked smile, and she licked her lips. "We can have meetings there discussing my future plans."

"WHAT plans!?" Lea snapped. "I'd like to know before you make me rush into anything."

"I'm not going to leave you alone," Arlene replied. "So why fight it? You have to work alongside me and we can be unstoppable."

"But…" Lea muttered, and then snapped, "Just what are you planning, Arlene!?"

"Get your home free tomorrow night, and then we'll talk," Arlene said with a confident attitude. "Today's my spa day. I need a time to myself every once in a while, you know."

…

Sora Skye entered his apartment which he shared with his brother, and jumped onto his hand-made bed that seemed more comfortable than any store-bought bed he'd ever laid on, and he sighed to himself in happiness, kicking off his shoes and socks and putting his hands behind his head.

Vanitas walked out of the bathroom in nothing but boxer-shorts on and said, "What's got you all happy? Wait, let me guess. It has something to do with Nami, right?"

"You know her nickname?"

"I know how to get info, like I said," Vanitas replied with a smirk, walking to the fridge and taking out a carton of milk. He undid the top and began gulping down the mink at a fast rate, milk dripping down his chin and onto his neck and chest.

"Nami is just perfect."

"You got that right, bro."

"Van, do you like her?"

"Do I need to answer that question?"

"Well, um, yes."

Vanitas sighed. "Who wouldn't like Nami? That awesome blond hair, those crystal blue eyes, and that awesome yet quiet voice of hers."

"You haven't had a conversation with her, though."

"Who's to say I didn't talk to her already? I could've."

"Sure, Van, sure," Sora replied. "Doesn't matter. If she likes me, I might ask her to that Lover's Spring…Spring Thing."

"Fling."

"Fling, right," Sora aid quickly. "I'll ask her and see if we're right for each other! Or is that rushing into anything?"

"Don't worry, little bro," Vanitas said with a smile. "If she doesn't like you, she'll come running to me and jumping into my waiting arms." He then started laughing at himself. "Hell, actually, she'd come running to me before you any day. I'll make sure of that."

…

It was just a normal day for everybody. People like Nami had crushes, people like Lea got roped into something they didn't want to do, and people like Sora overcame their fears.

Just your normal…your _average_ day.

Well, it wouldn't stay like that forever.

**XXX**

**A/N: Did you like the perfectly normal first chapter to Abuse? Leave a review on how you thought it was! So...Nami has found love. So has Sora. And also...so has Vanitas? What will happen to this love-triangle? Also, what is Arlene ACTUALLY planning that she is holding off on telling Lea? Find out next chapter!**


	2. Explosive Emotions

**Chapter 2: Explosive Emotions**

Nami woke with a start at around midnight. She had fallen asleep on the couch in the living room with Pluto resting his head on her lap. For an odd reason, she kept hearing sounds louder than what they should be.

She shouldn't have heard Pluto's breathing too much, and the television volume was almost all the way down, yet she heard it as a loud blaring sound. She reached her hand over, grabbed the remote, and shut off the TV, and she was bathed in darkness.

And then a steady _tap, tap, tap _came from the outside of the house, beyond the dark window, and into the night. Nami wasn't sure where it was coming from, so she stood up and walked towards the window.

She stared out into the darkness and thought she saw movement from behind a tree in the front yard. She heard steady growling sounds, so she whipped around and saw Pluto staring at the window from the couch, growling at something.

"What's wrong, Pluto?" Nami asked, walking over to the dog and petting his head. "See something, boy?" Nami was trying to act brave, but in her head she was freaking out. She hadn't imagined it because Pluto also heard what she did; in fact he sensed something out there.

The sound quickly vanished, being replaced by the pitter-patter of the rain, but then she heard a tiny noise coming from the door in the kitchen. Almost immediately, Pluto started barking and jumped off of the couch, rushing to the door.

"Pluto, quiet!" Nami screamed in a whisper at the dog, and headed to the kitchen as well. She shooed the dog to the side and slightly opened the door, undoing the locks, and stared into the darkness.

There was a piece of paper taped to the door, so she grabbed it and hurried up and shut the door. The paper seemed normal and blank. But when she flipped it over it fear rushed into her head and she nearly fell over Pluto.

"What is this…?" She asked herself, and stared at what was on the paper. On it was a picture of a short blonde haired girl with blue eyes and glasses. The more she saw it, the more frightened she felt. This picture was of her, three years ago.

How did _anyone _get this? She had never taken a pic like that with her glasses on because he had stage fright. So what was going on? She stood up on wobbly legs looking for an answer.

Then she heard something she couldn't possibly had heard. She heard a sound coming straight from her bedroom upstairs. She rushed passed Pluto and ran upstairs, down a large corridor, and to the last door on the right.

She swung it open, ran in, and was devastated to see what was there waiting for her.

The window of her room was half-way open, letting in a little rain. All of her clothes drawers were open, but nothing seemed stolen from then.

Her heart was racing as she closed the window. What was happening here? She wanted to call the police, but she didn't have real proof that anyone snuck in the house. Should she tell Kairi? She would have, but she didn't want Kairi to worry about anything.

She thought things returned to normal after the Tragedy.

Nami was wrong.

…

Sora woke with a start at seven in the morning. It was a whole five minutes earlier then when he was supposed to wake up. He looked ahead and saw Vanitas towering above him.

"Come on, li'l bro," Vanitas said with a smile. Something looked odd about him. His clothes looked slightly dirty and there was a tiny bit of dirt and dust on his right cheek. He saw Sora looking at him, and said, "I went for a walk. I kinda fell."

"Yeah, sure," Sora smirked. "Today I ask Nami."

"Dude, you are not her type at all," Vanitas chuckled leaning closer to Sora. Sure, Vanitas was always weird and all, but this made Vanitas seem a tad creepier than usual.

"And what is her type?" Sora asked sarcastically.

"Um, let me think," Vanitas said, resting his chin in his palm. "Not you." He started laughing. "I'll be waiting in the car. Hurry it up, will ya?" Vanitas left the room.

While Vanitas was gone, Sora rushed to the dresser to the side of Vanitas's bed, where he opened the top drawer, removed two shirts, and took out a small notebook bound in leather.

_Vanitas's journal._ It wasn't like Vanitas to keep secrets. He generally was open about stuff and acted creepy about it. But about two months ago he started keeping a journal that he wrote in every day.

Sora opened it to the first page yet again and read the very first line.

_The great and awesome __**Plan A**__was a bust. That's to be expected from an amateur. While the Princess could not be captured and taken into our custody, and with the Wolf dead, we can only move forward. But there's no way to get to the Pirate. So me, myself, all alone, needs to find an identical Heart._

Sora never understood this drabble. It was like this one paragraph was some fairytale that Vanitas had written, and that the entirety of the rest of the journal thus far was realistic. Or maybe the first paragraph WAS realistic, but Vanitas used code words to keep people from knowing some deep secret, and that only he could understand.

But what kind of secret? Sora checked the entire rest of the journal – even though it was wrong to snoop – and he couldn't find anything else that matches the first paragraph.

Sora hurried up and put his school clothes on and hurried out the door without worrying about anything anymore.

…

As Nami walked down the halls of the school, she was still frightened about what had happened the night before. And she had a major migraine going on. And the noise around her wasn't helping. It was as if every sound was amplified in her ears.

This had happened all day long and she couldn't stop it.

She walked into her last class, where Aeleus criticized her for being a minute late for class. "Why must you insist on zoning out?" Nami heard Aeleus say as she snapped back to reality, finally noticing there was now thirty minutes left of class.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, clutching her head. "Can I…go to the Nurse's office?"

"Sure?" Aeleus said with uncertainty. "Is everything alright? What's the matter?"

"I have a—" She stopped herself as she stood up. "—headache." She started walking towards the door. As she walked down the aisle, her vision became blurry.

As she reached for the doorknob, the feelings inside her overwhelmed her and she fell over, her head hitting the doorknob and her body falling limp on the floor.

"Mrs. Shiro!?" Aeleus called, rushing over to the girl and lifting her up. "Someone, open the door!" a volunteer opened the door and Aeleus started running down the hall and down the stairwell with Nami in his arms. When he brought her to the Nurse's office, Nurse Tifa gasped. "Take care of this girl."

"Right," she muttered, pointing to a bed at the side of the room. "Lay her down there." Aeleus did as told, bid Tifa farewell, and then left the room. Tifa closed it behind Aeleus. He took out an icepack and put it against Nami's forehead where the doorknob left a dent and a little blood.

Nami snapped her eyes open and mumbled, "What…happened?"

"There was a little accident, but you're fine," Tifa replied. "Is there anyone at home I can call?"

"No," Nami said, looking at the ceiling. "They're headed for Radiant Garden. You can get one of my siblings over here though. One of their names is Lea Kasai."

"Alright," Tifa said, taking the small microphone at her desk and pressing the button on it that connected it to the rest of the school. "Lea Kasai, report to the Nurse's Office," she spoke into it. She turned off the mic and set it down at her table.

"Tell me," Tifa started. "What exactly happened? Did you feel lightheaded? Excessive migraines? A throwing up sensation?"

"I have been feeling bad for at least two days now," Nami said, rubbing her icepack across her forehead. "For some reason every noise I hear hurts my head. I can hear things outside my home that average people aren't supposed to hear."

"You're just sensitive, is all," Tifa replied, and the door creaked on and Lea walked in. "Lea, good afternoon."

"Nami?" he asked with confusion, and rushed to Nami, asking a million questions at once.

"I'm alright," Nami said with a slight smile.

"Do you need anything?" Lea asked, but Nami just shook her head. "Alright. Nurse Tifa—" He looked to the Nurse. "—may we have a moment alone, please?"

"As you wish," Tifa said, stepping out of the office and closing the door.

Nami looked to Lea and raised an eyebrow. Lea smiled and said, "Nami, if you're up to it, I can cheer you up! It'd also be a birthday present for you! A day late, but… I can have you go on a birthday dinner tonight with Kairi and Ienzo. I'll pay for everything."

"You don't have to—"

"But I will," Lea said with a grin. "It'll be the best birthday dinner ever. Got it memorized?"

…

Lea stepped out of the Nurse's office as Tifa walked back in, closing the door. Lea walked not even two steps when Arlene, who this time didn't wear a wig, approached him.

"Nicely done," Arlene said, smiling. "You've gotten Nami to consider going eat out with Kairi and Ienzo, and now the house is all to ourselves. There we can discuss important matters."

"Got it," Lea replied. "But Arlene, why can't we just discuss it here?"

"Because you have to get to class," a voice said from the side, and the two turned to see Lumaria once again invading their privacy. Arlene scowled. "I don't make the rules. But I would like to know what you're talking about."

"What we're talking about?" Arlene asked with a giggly voice. "Are you damaged? Why would you ask us—?"

"Because it sounds illegal," Lumaria snapped back. "Getting three people to leave the house while you two host a meeting? Interesting." He took a small index card from his pocket and looked at it. "Lea Kasai, former leader of the Fiery Hot Assassins. And Arlene Tsukita, former member of Isa Tsukiakari's Berserk Midnight Crusaders. This is quite the treat."

"You know about us?" Lea asked. "How?"

"Because I know things," Lumaria said, holding his hand out in front of him and staring at the bronze ring on his finger. "And I'm afraid I have to know what's going. Spill everything."

"You wanna know?" Arlene asked. "Come to Even Sunset's manor tonight and see for yourself. Don't worry, Even is dating Lea's mom. So it's not breaking in."

"Sounds intriguing," Lumaria said, backing away from the two. "I'll see you two there."

…

Nami was all good to go and left Tifa's office without a word. She had met up with Lea, who had given her a lot of money to pay for food at a restaurant, and then she rushed to Kairi's car.

Before she got there, she got the same feeling from before. She could hear something rustling behind her, so she whipped around to see what was there. _Nothing._ She turned back around and nearly bumped into Sora.

"Wow!" Nami jumped back. "Sora…you pop up quick."

"Yeah…" Sora replied. "I don't want to intrude, but is everything alright? You seem a bit jumpier than usual. Why is that?"

"Just paranoid, I guess," Nami chuckled, but she didn't feel in a laughing mood. "I thought someone broke into my house last night. My window was wide open."

"Did you see anyone?"

"Nobody," Nami answered. "Hey, Sora…I'm going to a restaurant tonight with my sister and her boyfriend. Would you mind coming with me?" Nami was hoping he'd actually say yes, and was afraid to ask at all, but it had to be done to give Sora the impression that she likes him.

Sora's cheeks turned rosy and he said, "Nami, this is so sudden, but…yes, I'd love to go with you. Plus, it gets me away from my brother."

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen your brother around school," Nami told Sora. Sora raised an eyebrow. What does he look like?"

"Take me and turn my hair black and my eyes golden," Sora answered. "Add two inches to height, and then put a sprinkle of sinister, and there you go. That's basically who he is."

"Oh, so he looks like you?" Nami asked. "I thought ya'll were half-brothers?"

"He gets his spikey hair and the lookalike-ness from our mom," Sora answered. "The black hair and golden eyes come from his father." Sora felt talking to her seemed more natural now, and he was feeling less and less nervous. "Anyway, Nami, I'll see you later. Call me and I'll head to your house to meet with you so we can head to the restaurant. Thanks so much for inviting me."

Sora bowed and ran off. Nami did the same and when she got into Kairi's car, Kairi started giggling like crazy. "The hot guy talked to you again?"

"Sora Skye," Nami said, looking dreamily out the window. He put her hand in her pocket and took out a wad of cash, to which Kairi and Ienzo gasped at. "Lea gave me this money. He wants me to have a birthday dinner. Can we go eat out?"

"Sure?" Kairi asked uncertainly. "Why did Lea suggest this?"

Ah, Kairi. Always with the questions. Nami ignored the question and said, "Can Sora come with us? I kinda asked him out."

"What?" Kairi asked. "Nami, that's fantastic! Of course he can come along! Now what time should we leave to go? Four o'clock? Five? Six?"

"Whenever," Nami answered, and Kairi drove off.

…

Lea pulled into the driveway of Even's home, and seconds later Kairi's car arrived as well. He had to call Arlene and tell her when to get there. Or she could've just appeared at any time. And he had almost forgot, she had promised Lumaria to come with us.

Kairi, Nami, and Ienzo stepped out of the car, and Kairi hugged Lea. "Thanks for giving the money to Nami! We'll leave in about an hour."

"Alright," Lea replied. "While you're gone, I'll keep an eye on the house."

"What?" Kairi asked. "You never wanna stay here. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Lea said, looking at the ground. Lea couldn't tell her about his meeting with Arlene. Kairi had to believe he was done with all this gang stuff. Well, Lea wanted to believe that too, but it was already too late.

…

Sora walked into his apartment where Vanitas already was, stripping down and putting different clothes on. "Hey, Sora," Vanitas said eerily. "What's that smile about?"

Sora hadn't realized he was smiling until he felt his face. "I…I, um…I'm going on a date. With Nami!" Vanitas whipped his head towards Sora with menacing eyes.

Vanitas clenched his fist. "Is that so?" Sora nodded. "That's great…I had no idea she'd ever fall for a guy like you, but look what you've accomplished." He stalked up to Sora and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't get too cocky, Sora. Nami is and forever will be mine."

Sora eyed Vanitas suspiciously. He hadn't ever seen Vanitas get this way before. "What's wrong with you today—?"

Vanitas looked Sora in the eyes and smirked, then grabbed his arm and twisted it, making Sora squeal in pain as he dropped to the ground. "Stop, Vanitas!"

Vanitas released his grip on Sora's arm, but swiftly afterwards he kicked Sora in the stomach, making Sora roll into a ball as he clutched his stomach with both arms.

"I call the shots around here," Vanitas hissed. "I am the one Nami will fall for. _Not _you. Got that?"

Sora climbed to his feet. "You're different than normal," Sora muttered, gasping for breath. "Do you love Nami that much? You're acting selfish."

"Do what you want with her," Vanitas told Sora, walking away from him. "But once she realizes she can only be with me, don't come crying to me when your heart gets ripped out and smashed into a bloody mess."

…

Nami greeted Sora at the door. Sora had kept his word and showed up after all. Nami offered Sora her hand, and Sora immediately started blushing, but took her hand in his anyway. Sora and Nami sat in the back seat of Kairi's car, with Ienzo and Kairi in the front seats.

Once they drove off, leaving Lea behind in the doorway, he looked to the side where Arlene was already at, waiting for a clearing. She walked into the house, and not long after she entered, Lumaria walked in behind her.

"We're here!" Arlene shouted with an ecstatic voice. "Now we can get business underway! First off, there's the subject of new members for the Savage Nymphs! And I suggest Lumaria!"

"What?" the aforementioned pink haired man asked.

"Some guy we just met?" Lea asked with confusion. "Why him?"

"He has information," Arlene started. "…information about us. So, Lumaria Sakura, how long were you spying on us and our gangs?"

"For the entirety of their existence," Lumaria replied, shocking Lea. "Lea may not remember, but he hired my father as one of his gang members and I kept tabs on him and your gang."

"So you knew about us all along," Arlene said, putting a hand over her mouth. "This means you have a lot of knowledge. How about…you join us in creating my own gang, the Savage Nymphs?"

"How about…I will join, but under one condition," Lumaria said with a smirk.

"What is it?" Lea and Arlene both asked him.

Lumaria looked up at the ceiling. "Arlene's the leader, Lea's the helper, and I'm the fighter of the trio. That is the deal."

"The fighter?" Lea and Arlene asked in unison again.

"I'm very quick on my feet, and am a pretty damn well fighter," Lumaria replied. "I'll also help in the getting new members department. I understand not everyone will want to work with Arlene because she asks them to. So I will."

…

Kairi, Nami, Ienzo, and Sora were chowing down on their food in an extremely beautiful and shining restaurant. Sora was finally feeling more like a normal teenager and less like the stressed out child he's been acting like lately. He could finally let himself go in front of Nami and not even bat an eye this time.

Things couldn't be better. Sora looked Nami in the eyes once more and started speaking, but Nami wasn't even listening. She was more focused on his boyishly handsome and charming face. Nami had never gotten this way around a boy. Ever. So of course this kind of emotion that was practically spewing out of her heart was unknown to her, yet felt warm and comfortable like she was melting.

Without thinking, Nami leaned in and kissed Sora on the lips. Sora wasn't even sure what was happening at that moment. He blinked his eyes several times, wondering if this was a dream or not. Before Nami, he had never had any attractions to anyone. He'd never even liked a girl before. But Nami was different.

The kiss lasted several seconds, and before long Kairi had finally noticed the commotion and was giggling rapidly at Nami who had never even kissed a boy in her life.

At long last Sora returned the kiss once he got over how strange it felt, and that lasted almost a full minute. When they broke free for air, Nami started grinning without her wanting to, and she turned her head away, screaming, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"For what?" Sora asked. "That was awesome…I mean, it was good…the kiss was…um…wow I'm stuttering a lot, aren't I?"

"I don't mind," Nami replied with a cute smile. "It's kinda cute, Sora."

"Really…" Sora said, never having been called cute before. "Then, in that case…wanna kiss again?" Immediately his smile turned more like a nervous grin. "Did I just say that…?" But he was immediately grabbed by Nami who had started kissing Sora's lips once more.

Kairi had felt great for Nami. Nami had never kissed, hugged, or talked to a boy like she was doing tonight. Everything was perfect. Perfectly perfect. Nothing could ruin this night.

Until they heard an ear-splitting explosion coming from the very back of the restaurant.

…

"I assume you don't know what's going on then, Lumaria, I presume," Arlene said, looking the pink haired boy dead in the eyes. "The entire plan was to get members for our new group, the Savage Nymphs. Well, there is a possibility that our business with the Midnight Crusaders is not entirely over."

"What does that mean, Arlene?" Lea asked loudly, unsure of what she meant. "What else…what are you planning now, Arlene?"

"It's not what I'm planning that I'm worried about," Arlene answered back. "It's what _he's _planning. I'm afraid that, eventually…we'll have to run in with Braig."

"Wait, what?" Lea said, stumbling backwards just a bit. "Braig's escaped?"

"It was all over the news this morning," Arlene replied. "I could not tell you anything at school. He could have been there, listening. The man has sharp ears."

"How is that even possible?" Lumaria asked. "I thought that the one named Braig was crippled in that explosion that killed Isa. His arms and legs were completely destroyed, were they not?"

"That's what we thought," Arlene said. Somehow she remained to keep her cool even through all of this. "But they said he was missing from his room. Nobody could've gotten within the mental facility to free him. They would've been shot dead onsite. He must've gotten out…somehow. It seems impossible, but the man does have some tricks up his sleeve."

"So Braig is freed from that place…" Lea said, taking all of this in. "He'll be after me. Worse yet, my family. He'll target Kairi and Nami."

…

The explosion lasted about ten seconds. But for Nami, it felt like an eternity. For some reason she heard the explosion louder than anyone else in the restaurant, so she immediately fell down clutching her head.

When Sora dropped down to help her back up, he had seen Nami's eyes were nearly bloodshot. He helped Nami back in her chair while a little blood dribbled out of her ear, and she looked to the back of the restaurant.

A security guard had appeared from the back and told everybody to stay put. Kairi, Ienzo, Nami, and Sora had saw, in the back of the restaurant, there was smoke coiling out of a trash can, where someone must've planted an explosive device within.

The security guard, who had brown hair and blue eyes with tannish skin, walked directly to Nami's table and said, "Okay, this explosion you all just witnessed. Care to explain, Spike?"

Nami, Kairi, and Ienzo knew he was referring to Sora, the only one there with spikey hair. Sora looked up at the security guard confusedly. "What's the problem…um…?" He looked at the man's id tag. "…Officer Terra?"

Terra grabbed hold of Sora's arm and glared into his eyes. "You did this, and you know, I _really _hate delinquents like yourself."

"That's not the one," an old voice said from the back of the restaurant. She scurried up to the officer. "The one I saw plant the bomb in the trash can had black hair and golden eyes!"

Terra immediately let go of Sora's arm. "Damn, that's no good. Look, I'm sorry, Spike. Forgive me."

"It's alright," Sora replied with a smirk. Then he thought for a moment. "I need some air." Before even consulting the rest of the table, he stood up, brushed passed Officer Terra, and left the table while Kairi had gotten Terra to help out with Nami's bloody ear problem.

…

Sora stepped out of the restaurant where, as he had hoped, Vanitas was standing right next to the doors. Vanitas looked to Sora with menacing eyes and said, "Hello, brother, how good it is to see you tonight."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sora asked, and Vanitas quickly grabbed hold of Sora's throat and dragged him up the wall a little. "Vani…tas…."

"You can't let me have my way, can you, Sora?" Vanitas asked with more hate in his voice. "Let _me _get the girl! Let _me_ have Naminé!" He let go of Sora and punched Sora in the face, releasing a little blood from Sora's nose.

"What are you doing here?" Sora asked, trying to punch Vanitas back, but Vanitas expertly dodged him. "Were you spying on us? Are you stalking Nami?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Vanitas said with a smile, and kicked Sora right in the stomach, making the brother fall onto his knees, gasping for air. "Nami will be mine. But if you insist on pestering the girl, throw her a surprise birthday party, which will, of course, be two days _after _her birthday. But she'll thank you for it. Trust me."

"Oh, and you know what?" Sora asked, about to say something he knew he'd regret. "Nami kissed me and liked it."

That made Vanitas snap like a twig. He grabbed hold of Sora's neck, pushed with all his might and as hard as he could, and slammed Sora's head slam against the bricked wall of the restaurant. Vanitas spit at Sora and threw Sora to the side, and then walked away from the place.

Sora stood up. "How could you…like Nami so much you'd hurt me to get here? She'd not like this!"

"Fact of the matter is," Vanitas said, stopping in his tracks and turning towards Sora. "I don't give a damn what she thinks."

"Then why go after her?"

"Because I want her!" Vanitas yelled, veins nearly popping out of his forehead and neck from his intense anger. "Throw her a surprise party tomorrow! Get Kairi, Ienzo, and anyone else involved! And at the party, when she runs away crying from you, then she'll be all mine. Understood, brother?"

Sora stood himself up, staring at his _evil_ brother. "I understand…" Of course, Sora was lying like a rug, but what else was he supposed to do? He walked back into the restaurant.

The next day, he _was _going to throw a party for Nami. And then he'd prove Vanitas wrong.

…

Lea had bid Arlene farewell at around ten o'clock. Only Lumaria remained. He walked to the door, opened it, turned back to Lea, and said, "I am going to be around the two of you at all times. If you two are in trouble, I'll help. Don't worry."

And Lumaria left, and Kairi had returned in her vehicle after politely dropping Sora off at his apartment building. Nami stepped in the house first, remembering what had happened ten minutes ago.

_Kairi's car stopped in front of a large apartment complex. Sora stepped out of the car, and instead of doing it himself, Nami leaned over her side of the car and made out with Sora for a few seconds, but Sora jerked away and walked off._

What had caused him to jerk away like he did? Was he hiding something?

…

When Sora had entered his apartment room, he was ambushed and pushed straight to the ground. He heard the clicking of guns and turned his head slightly, where he saw Officer Terra standing, about three of his men surrounding Sora.

"Ugh, what happened this time?" Sora yelled out, and terra let go of Sora instantly.

"Wow, we did it again," Terra sighed, and called off his three men, who all left the apartment soon after. "Sora Skye, sorry. Why did you pretend to not remember me earlier?"

"I was with friends, I couldn't let them know," Sora said apologetically.

Terra looked Sora in the eyes. "So Vanitas hasn't returned yet?"

"No, he hasn't," Sora spat. "I still haven't seen him in months. Please leave, Officer."

"Yes, Sora, of course," Terra said, walking out the door. He looked back to Sora. "Once Vanitas returns, alert us. He's still being suspected of kidnapping a minor."

"What if that's all fake, though?" Sora asked.

"Who else could it be?" Terra asked. "Just keep in touch." He closed the door behind him.

Sora looked out the window, seeing Terra get in his police car and drive away. "You can come out, Vanitas."

Vanitas stepped out of the shadows of the dark hallway. "I can't believe he still thinks I kidnapped his niece. Just because he saw me following her one day…anyway, I can't let him find me. This guy has no remorse. He'll kill me in a heartbeat after finding his oh-so-precious niece."

"You're right," Sora said with a smirk.

"Now, about that kiss with Nami," Vanitas started, making Sora gasp. Sora turned to Vanitas, who swung his hand and made contact with Sora's cheek, sending his brother flying against the wall. "Never again."

**_XXX_Did you like this chapter? Not much happens, other than Vanitas appears to be abusive and cruel and will stop at nothing to get his way. Next chapter, Sora will try and throw Nami a surprise late birthday party under Vanitas's orders. What is he planning? PLEASE REVIEW! I don't know what I would do if I don't get any reviews! See ya next chapter!_XXX_**


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